Versace Sisters

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Authors: Cate Kendall

By the same author

Gucci Mamas

Versace
Sisters

Cate Kendall

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted by any person or entity, including internet search engines or retailers, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, photocopying (except under the statutory exceptions provisions of the
Australian Copyright Act 1968
), recording, scanning or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of Random House Australia. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author's and publisher's rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

 

Versace Sisters

ePub ISBN 9781864715385
Kindle ISBN 9781864718027

Original Print Edition

A Bantam book
Published by Random House Australia Pty Ltd
Level 3, 100 Pacific Highway, North Sydney NSW 2060
www.randomhouse.com.au

First published by Bantam in 2009

Copyright © Lisa Blundell and Michelle Hamer 2009

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted by any person or entity, including internet search engines or retailers, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying (except under the statutory exceptions provisions of the Australian
Copyright Act 1968
), recording, scanning or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of Random House Australia.

Addresses for companies within the Random House Group can be found at
www.randomhouse.com.au/offices

National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication Entry

Kendall, Cate.
Versace sisters.

ISBN: 9781863256186

A823.4

Cover illustration based on originals by Nick Monu and Pink Tag
Cover design:
www.saso.com.au
Internal design by Midland Typesetters, Australia

 

For Wylie Easthope, 3 November 1967–2 December 2008.
An amazing man. LB

For my 'chosen sisters' Tracey Caulfield and Katrina Hardman.
MH

Prologue

1980

'BELLA-RENE!'

Her mother's shriek reverberated off the Hills Hoist and
assaulted Bella's ears as she sat huddled in her treehouse.
She'd been watching the cattle in the top paddock grazing
drowsily.

She hastily scrambled down the tree and ran toward the
house. What on earth could she want now? Lunch was
over and cleared up and it was hours before she had to set
the table for dinner.

The grimy screen door slapped shut behind her as she
entered the kitchen, gloomy in contrast to the bright day
and dank with the lingering odour of grease.

'Yeah, Mum?'

Marlene Walker looked up from the stove at her eldest
child.

'Jesus, girl, how many times have I told you not to wear
your good dress around the house? You'll be headed for a
fall if you keep thinking you're better than the rest of us, you
know. Airs and graces, my girl, airs and graces.' Marlene's
diatribe was brought to an abrupt halt by a hacking cough.

Wiping the side of her mouth on her flannelette shirt
she continued. 'Watch the kids for me, girl, I'm off to the
pub to fetch your father home. And put the corned beef on
when the saucepan starts to boil, will ya?' she added as she
pulled on her favourite acrylic green cardigan and pushed
open the back door.

Bella went to check on her little sister but was distracted
by the shouts and squeals coming from the boys'
room. After ordering Craig, Travis and Keith to take their
wrestling out into the paddock she wandered through the
few remaining rooms of the weatherboard cottage calling,
'Sera? Serandipity? Where are you?'

She retraced her steps back to the steamy kitchen where
the saucepan was now boiling angrily on the old stove.

'There you are, you cheeky –' Bella's voice froze as
the world suddenly blurred and slowed. Sera, climbing on
a chair to reach her treasured golliwog on the cluttered
mantle above the stove, seemed to be moving as though in
a dream. Bella could not speed herself up enough to reach
her in time.

She saw what was going to happen, saw it over and over
in the few seconds it took to become reality, and heard her
scream blend with Sera's as the child's chubby foot clipped
the handle of the saucepan and sent searing water onto her
right leg.

~ 1 ~

2009

'The benefits of the Capture Ultimate Wrinkle Restoring
Serum rests in its ability to be micro-absorbed into the pores
to polish and rejuvenate the skin. It's certainly one of my
favourite products, and in fact we call it the "turbocharger"
of the range,' Sera ended her spiel with a genuine smile. 'And
for your delicate skin,' she continued, with a nod towards her
customer's ruddy complexion, 'I would recommend Diorskin
Forever: its creation has been inspired by nano-technology.'

The thirty-something medical receptionist in sensible
shoes and supermarket cosmetics was drinking in every
word.

'The Forever make-up has an invisible nano-network of
micro-airy molecules to maintain classic beauty in even the
most difficult environments,' Sera said, breathless with the
joy of the cosmetic marvel.

Within fifteen minutes the receptionist had treated
herself to the serum, make-up, some blush and a night
cream to help reduce any sneaky signs of ageing. She left
glowing with the promise of enhanced beauty.

Sera sighed with satisfaction. She loved her job at
the David Jones Christian Dior counter because she
truly believed in her product and was thrilled to be
able to preach the gospel of Dior skincare to the world.
Nevertheless, when her tea break came she decided to
spend it popping around to the other beauty counters.

A good slice of her part-time income disappeared this
way, but with two children, a husband and mother-in-law
to look after, Sera figured splurging on cosmetics and
creams was a well-deserved treat.

'Hi Lucille,' she called, surveying the range at the Clinique
counter. 'Anything new coming in?'

'Sweetheart, you know I always let you know first,'
Lucille smiled. 'How did you go with the Turnaround
Concentrate?'

'It was quite good,' Sera frowned, unconsciously sliding
her hand over her scarred thigh, 'but I'd still like to see
what they come up with next.'

Lucille reached under the counter. 'Well, I don't think
you've tried our Continuous Rescue Antioxidant Moisturiser
yet, have you?'

Sera was immediately interested and leant gratefully on
the counter while Lucille dabbed a few precious drops of
silvery liquid into her hand. She could feel the serum tingling
gently on her skin. It felt so silky-soft and yet powerful
and her skin was shinier and smoother than it had been a
few seconds before.

'Oh this is wonderful, Lucille, I can feel it working
already.'

'Isn't it glorious, sweetie? I thought I had shown it to
you already. It's a collagen enhancer: the powerful molecules
in the serum invigorate and rejuvenate damaged
cellular pore linings . . .'

Lucille's voice faded as Sera was gripped by a familiar
bubble of hope and expectation. Maybe this cream would
be the one. Maybe this one would work.

But then again, how many times had she felt this excitement
before, only to be left disappointed and out-of-pocket
yet again? She knew Bella would scoff at her for reaching
for another impossible miracle. She realised with a start that
she hadn't seen her sister for weeks, and a familiar mix of
sadness and resentment twisted inside her.

The years she and Bella had spent crisscrossing the globe
as flight attendants had been heady with excitement and
new experiences. Their adult lives had begun exactly as they
had plotted back in their cramped childhood bedroom in
the house in Mole Creek. Back then, Bella had plastered the
walls with pages from fashion magazines taken from recycling
bins in better neighbourhoods that promised a glitzier,
brighter, more sophisticated world. The sisters tried their
best, but could do little to make their tatty hand-me-downs
and op-shop bargains look anything like the fashion in the
glossy pages. Versace, with its slightly gaudy edge, became
their dream label; their secret code for a better life.

And then it had happened: first Bella and then Sera
escaped dishwater dull Mole Creek and joined Air Australia,
and soon they were shopping for real Versace in
Paris, sipping cocktails in Prague, snapping up bargain
Burberry in London, bohemian accessories in Italy and
La Prairie in Switzerland.

They fiddled their schedules, begged and cajoled colleagues
to swap shifts and change routes so the inseparable
sisters could fly together or land in the same cities. Their
global partying continued even after Bella married her
handsome pilot husband, Curtis.

But then Sera met Tony, and happily swapped jetsetting
for family life. Somehow she had simply assumed Bella
would do the same, but to her surprise her big sister continued
her glamorous life alone.

Sera stared at the back of her hand, bringing herself
back to reality. She was sure her skin looked younger and
fresher.

'What's the biggest size, Lucille?' she asked.

'Why not just take this 5ml trial size and see how you
go?' Lucille offered.

Sera brushed the tiny bottle aside. 'That wouldn't be
enough for my whole . . . er . . . um . . . face,' she stammered,
blushing. 'The serum seems perfect. I'll get a whole
bottle.'

'It's your pay cheque.' Lucille shrugged.

'I'll run back over and pay after my shift,' Sera said
rushing back to her own counter. 'Oh, by the way, how
much is it?'

'One hundred and seventy-five dollars, darling,' Lucille
told her. 'Want it on your store card?'

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